A Tale of Two Clans
by MsMarvelDuckie
Summary: New York is a big city, but is it big enough for TWO clans of misfit crime-fighters? What happens when two very different families meet? The Turtles and the Gargoyles are about to find out. Set in an AU world that blurs the lines between what we know and what is possible, this is a tale of an unusual encounter that may lead to both new friends, and new enemies...
1. Chapter 1

This tale takes place in my AU of the TMNT, sometime during the storyline of "Love Is Shell"(Spoiler alert! It comes after Mikey and Orlene's escape from the Technodrome and Raph's party, for those who are interested- so there may be some details here that will not be seen in that tale yet...)

"A Tale of Two Clans"

It was night in the city. Leonardo gazed out over the rooftop, scanning the streets below for signs of trouble. Beside him, Raphael leaned against a chimney stack, boredly twirling one of his sais. Donatello sighed as he paced back and forth; Michelangelo was sitting on the ledge, dangling his feet over the side and making a cat's-cradle from a bit of yellow yarn from Klunk's yarn ball.

"Can we go home, Leo? It's a pretty slow night. I'm BORED!" Mikey complained in frustration. "No Foot, no Purple Dragons, not even a robbery to bust!"

"Ya' got THAT right. I still say we should'a gone over to the Bowery instead of hangin' out here." Raph growled in agreement. "Startin' ta think I should'a gone wit' Casey instead of you guys."

"I'm with Raph and Mikey on this one, Leo. Maybe we should call it a night?" I said, sighing. I was just as bored as they were, sitting next to Mikey with legs crossed on the casement. I absently flipped

"It's still early. Give it a little longer. Something will turn up." The blue-banded leader replied. I tapped my fingers idly on my knee, wishing SOMETHING would happen to make our nightly patrol worthwhile. Almost as if on cue, we suddenly heard the sound of an alarm about a block down on the street below. Leo turned to us and grinned. "See? Patience is a virtue. I TOLD you something would come up! Now let's go, team." He said. I wanted to punch him in his smug beak.

We raced across the rooftops to the source of the sound, and quickly spotted four men- judging from the number of figures inside the jewelry store below us- smashing cases and scooping up baubles like kids in a candy store. I looked down and scowled in disappointment. "Well, poo- looks like there aren't enough playmates to go around. Guess I'll have to sit this one out, guys." I said sourly. I might be spending too much time patrolling with Raph and Casey. But then, how ELSE am I supposed to get experience?

Donatello shook his head and chuckled. "You can have mine if you want. This is more your kind of game than mine anyway." He waved gallantly down at the street. "Ladies first, after all!" I laughed, and patted his arm.

"Thanks, Donnie, don't mind if I DO! Better luck next time!" I replied, and followed Leo and the others down while he waited on the roof to play look-out. If he spotted trouble- which would probably come in the form of NYPD squad cars- he would signal us on our shell-cells.

It was a quick and easy battle, so much so that I almost wished I'd let Don go instead. I'm not even sure I could call something that one-sided a battle, since the thieves gave up as soon as they realized their shadowy opposition had them outmatched. In little more than a minute, we had them trussed up like a Christmas turkey. Leo and Raph left them hanging from a lamp-post outside, just in time for the police to arrive. We vanished like smoke in the wind back up to the roof across the street.

"Well, THAT was a fun way to kill five minutes," Raph muttered in disappointment. "Anybody got any ideas how to spend the REST of the evenin'?"

"I say we pack it in," Donnie said with a sigh. "It HAS been kind of a slow night. I could be home working on those new tracer shuriken. I upgraded the design."

"And I could be hittin' the next level on my new game!" Mikey agreed emphatically. I stifled a laugh at his latest gaming obsession. He glanced over and shrugged. "What?! At least it's more entertaining than watching traffic!"

"Face it, bros- crime just ain't what it used to be in this town," Raph growled roughly. Leo chuckled at his hot-headed sibling's frustration.

"Let's head over to Soho and see if there's anything going on there," he said at last, realizing the natives were restless. The last thing we needed was a bored and annoyed Raphael on our hands- it tends to lead to mayhem and destruction….

Several blocks later, we finally ran into some excitement in the form of a group of armed men attempting to kidnap a woman dressed in a fancy evening gown and fur stole from a high-class hotel. They were holding a gun to her head as they dragged her into a waiting car and took off. Raph let out a shout of elation and bounded off across the rooftops after the car. Donnie just shook his head, resigned to his brother's rash tendencies, and pulled a throwing star from his belt pouch.

"Well, now's as good a time to test the new model out as any!" He said with a gleam in his eyes from the edge of the roof. He chucked the star forcefully down at the back of the car as it screeched away, and nodded in satisfaction when it stuck in the back bumper. Then he and Leo took off after their brother, and I followed close behind

I paused when I realized Mikey wasn't with us; I glanced back to find him standing on the edge of the rooftop, looking over at the clock tower atop the police station across the street with a puzzled expression. I leapt back across to rejoin him, wondering what held his attention. He seemed to be contemplating something, and the oddly intent look in his eyes told me that something was amiss, even if nothing appeared out of the ordinary.

"Mike? What's wrong?" I asked curiously, following his gaze. I didn't see anything of interest, but with Mikey, one never knew what might catch his eye.

"There's somethin' funny about that tower," he said after a moment, scratching his head. "We came by here last week, and there were a bunch of gargoyle statues on that casement in front of the clock. Now they're gone. And this isn't the FIRST time I've noticed 'em missin', either."

"Maybe you're thinking of a different building, Mikey, There must be dozens of buildings with gargoyle statues on them in this city!" I said, shrugging. I wondered why he was so concerned with a bunch of "missing" statues- but then, he was known to be easily distracted by even the most minor of oddities, and knowing Mikey, I wouldn't have put it past him to have cooked up some new prank.

"No way. It was right THERE, I'm SURE of it! I know, 'cause I've been wantin' to come up here and draw 'em. They're not like any others in the whole city! These are the most life-like ones I've ever seen, and I could almost SWEAR they change position. I think- well, don't laugh, but I think maybe they're alive!"

I gave him a skeptical stare, but decided to humor him. After all, I'd seen enough weirdness since meeting the brothers to realize that almost ANYTHING was possible. "Maybe they've just been removed for repairs or something. Maybe someone just got tired of having them there, or wanted to put them somewhere safe, away from the weather and the pigeons."

"Nope- don't think so. Every time we patrol this part of town, I see 'em sittin' over there, but sometimes they just- look different. It's hard to explain, y'know? Like when you feel like someone's watchin' you, even though you don't see anyone there? It's like that, only the statues look like they're not in exactly the same pose every time, or sometimes a couple of them are switched. And then a few times, they've been just- gone. Like tonight. It's just plain fishy, if ya' ask me."

"Okay, but can you PROVE it?" I asked pointedly.

Michelangelo frowned, deep in thought for a few moments, then suddenly snapped his fingers with a look of inspiration. "I got it! You have your phone on you?" He asked, and gestured impatiently at me to hand it to him when I nodded. After a few seconds spent futilely trying to press buttons, he handed it back to me with an annoyed sigh. "Here, YOU do it. These buttons are too darn small for my fat fingers!" He said, exasperated. "Look up photos of the station. Those gargoyles are bound to be in 'em!"

"Hey, good thinking!" I replied, then swiftly searched the web on my phone.. In seconds, I had pulled up dozens of photos of the tower. It didn't take long to notice a glaring inconsistency; in all of the daytime shots, there were several gargoyle statues. The older images showed six, but the latest ones had added a seventh- and that one was clearly female, while the others- with the exception of one dog-like one that was different from the rest- were all apparently male.

What was more interesting was that they did indeed seem to change poses slightly in some of the photos. It was subtle; an arm shifted, a tail curled one way in one image, and held out behind in another, or a change in the expressions of their stony faces. But the most glaring detail was the conspicuous absence of any statues in the photos taken at night. It was as if the statues simply disappeared from the casement once the sun went down. And it was the same in EVERY ONE.

I also noticed that the statues had only been there for a little over two years. Further searching revealed that they had previously been part of an ancient Scottish castle that was transported stone by stone and reassembled here in the city- at the top of one of the tallest and most well-known buildings in Manhattan- the Xanacorp tower. Somehow the statues had been moved from the castle to the clock tower above the police station. I was beginning to think that the gargoyles themselves had decided to move.

Mikey gazed down over my shoulder curiously, his eyes lighting up when he saw the images on the small screen. "See? I KNEW it! I'm NOT crazy!" He exclaimed, and I shot a sideways glance at him, wondering if he was saying it to convince ME, or if he had begun to doubt his own mind. Knowing Mikey, maybe a bit of both.

"Okay, so now what?" I asked. "Should we tell the others?"

He shook his head, and grinned. "Nope. I say we do a little recon- NINJA-style! If those things ARE alive, I want to see 'em close up!" He pulled out his grapple and gave me an impish look. "Care to join in a bit of sleuthing, mademoiselle?" He said, holding out his elbow gallantly. I laughed, and stepped close with a nod of excitement.

"Sure, why not! I'm always up for a little fun with my favorite mutant hero!" I chuckled; he swung his line out across the street to anchor on the casement of the police station.

"Heh, just call me the Turtle Titan," he replied smugly, as he bent down for me to hop on his back. "Teen Turtle Titan, GO!" He shouted, and leapt off to swing across.


	2. Chapter 2

Well, here's chapter two! Sorry this took so long, but RL came and slapped me in the face while I was trying to work on this. First was the news that we were finally going to be getting a downstairs unit in our apartments- we've been waiting six months, and we can finally get moved into one that doesn't require my other half to climb stairs- and then he got hospitalized with a serious infection on his foot that ended with half of said foot getting amputated. Let this be a lesson: don't wait until something LOOKS bad before going to a doctor. Especially if you happen to be diabetic. Just GO, and get it over with. Or you might end up with something far worse than what you would have had to put up with if you'd just gone sooner.

Chapter Two: Wyvern Clan

Elsewhere-

"I'm beat, Lex. Let's just go home and get something to eat. It's a slow night." The larger of the two figures gliding above Midtown grumbled, sounding bored. He sported a row of short spikes down the middle of his head to his neck, and large, frill-edged ears. His short, lithe companion, light olive-hued shape riding the wind currents easily, looked over at the heavy-set clan-mate beside him with one spiny brow-ridge raised, and chuckled.

"Broadway, we've only been patrolling for an HOUR! Besides, you need the exercise. You've gained weight again. Don't think I didn't notice you've been having trouble maintaining altitude." The small winged creature chided his large partner. Like his companion, his ears were long and pointed, though without the large frills. Both wore only a simple loincloth secured by a wide leather belt, and both sported long sinewy tails.

"That's only because I eat more when I get bored. And let's face it, Lex- it's been pretty slow for a couple of weeks now. It's almost like the criminals are scared to come out any more!" The big blue-green skinned flyer complained.

"Ha! Maybe they have good REASON to be scared?" His small clan-mate laughed, gliding lower to search the streets below for signs of trouble. "But hey, at least it makes our job easier!" They both laughed at that, and pivoted in mid flight around a corner to follow 48th Street west toward Hell's Kitchen.

At that moment, a lean, red-skinned figure swooped in from above, winging close to join them. His horned head sported a sharp beak and a long mane of thick white hair. He shared the same pointed ears and long tail as the other two, and like the others, glided over the city on large, bat-like wings that sprouted from the back of his broad shoulders.

"Goliath sent me to find you guys. He says to pack it in and come home. Angela spotted those suspicious figures near the station again." The newcomer said seriously. The other two traded a glance.

Lex frowned. "Again? Who do you suppose they are? And what do they want?"

Broadway sighed. "Oh, well. I was getting bored, anyway. Come on Lex. I'm hungry." He turned back the way they had come, his enormous wings fluttering briefly before catching the next current.

"Brooklyn, do you think we should check it out? This is the fifth time this month we've had those sneaky shadows lurking around; I'd like to know what they're up to!" Lexington asked his red-skinned clansman.

"Goliath thinks they might have something to do with all the crooks that have been turning up in the neighborhood tied up and unconscious. I guess it wouldn't hurt to look around and see if we can find them." Brooklyn nodded, and all three made for the 23rd Precinct police station. But instead of flying straight home to the old clock tower atop the station, they began a wide sweep above the neighborhood, scanning the rooftops below for signs of the mysterious figures who had lately been lurking about.

After three passes, they were nearly ready to give up, when Lex spotted movement in an alley a few blocks away, and signaled his clan-mates to move in closer. They saw three short, bulky figures moving in the deep shadows, but when they reached the alley, the shapes were nowhere to be seen- though they heard the slight metallic scrape of something large and heavy being moved further down the alley. They landed on the roof of an adjacent building, but all they saw was the empty alley, with a manhole cover where the sound had apparently originated.

"What do you make of it, guys?" Broadway asked, cocking his head and frowning. He scratched his head, and glanced from Lex to Brooklyn. "You don't think they went into the sewers, do you? Why would they do that?"

"I don't know," Lex said with a puzzled look. "Maybe that's how they keep disappearing. Whoever they are, they must be up to SOMETHING if they're trying so hard to hide."

"Yeah, and I don't like it. There's something weird about all of this," Brooklyn added, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Too bad we can't follow them down there."

Lexington thought for a moment, tapping his chin with one clawed finger, and then suddenly brightened. "Maybe we CAN! I bet if I hack into the city's data files, we can find some maps of the sewer system, and maybe figure out where they go!"

"Alright, LEX! That's what I'm talkin' about!" Brooklyn exclaimed, and the two larger gargoyles high-fived each other, with Lex jumping up in an attempt to add his.

Broadway nodded emphatically, eager to discover the identity of their mystery men. "Yup, that's our boy- always has a solution!" He said, chuckling.

Just then, they heard the sound of police sirens from a street nearby, and the three leapt off the roof, their wings unfurling as they winged toward the disturbance. "You think they might need out help?" Broadway asked, to no one in particular, as they neared the source of the noise.

They braked hard in mid-air, with Lexington almost colliding with Broadway as they saw what had brought the cops. Three jaws dropped in stunned amazement at the sight before them.

"I'd say that's a no," Brooklyn answered, gaping down at the three men tied to a telephone pole near a wreaked car, with a large note taped above them. The vehicle looked as if someone had taken a heavy, blunt object to it repeatedly, and the tires were all slashed. A very distraught-looking woman in an expensive evening gown with a fur stole, bedecked with glittering jewelry rose slowly, as if she wasn't quite sure where she was. She ran toward the approaching officers, yelling incoherently, and pointing at the tied-up men.

"Hey- you guys don't suppose this has anything to do with those guys we just followed, do you?" Broadway asked, stating what all three were thinking.

"Oh, yeah. I'd bet money on it." Brooklyn didn't even glance at his brother. "Looks like we've got some competition, guys. Whoever those shadow-guys were, they're some kind of vigilantes."

"You think we'll run into them again?" Lex asked curiously. "I'd really like to find out how THAT happened." He pointed down to the car, which had a conspicuous pair of long, straight slashes in the hood. "It looks like someone cut it with something really big!"

"Yeah, I'm curious about that myself. Looks like something Hudson would do with his sword." Brooklyn replied. "We'll see those shadow-guys again. I'm SURE of it." With that, he took off again, headed back to their roost. The others merely traded concerned looks, and then shrugged and followed him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Turtles and Cops Don't Mix

I began to have doubts even before we had climbed up his rope to the casement of the clock tower's wide balcony. For starters, Leo and the others were already long gone, chasing down the car with Donnie's tracer on it. I was pretty sure we were going to get an earful from Leo for running off on our own, but I had to admit that I was curious now that I'd seen the images of the statues Mikey had mentioned. He might not be the most brilliant individual, but he had a way of seeing things others might miss; a way of pointing out the seemingly insignificant- yet obvious in hindsight- details that more often than not proved crucial. I had a feeling this might be one of them.

Once we stood on the lookout that surrounded the base of the clock tower itself, I dropped down from Mikey's back, and glanced around cautiously. Sometimes I think hanging around with those boys has made me paranoid. "What now?" I asked, hoping he had some kind of plan.

"Um, dunno yet. I guess we should look around for clues. That's what the Scooby Gang would do," he said, shrugging.

I rolled my eyes, chuckling at his remark. "Why does it NOT surprise me that you'd take your cues from a cartoon?" I asked, as I looked up at the huge clock. Its face stared blindly out into the bright lights of a New York night, the hands forever pointing to the eight and the four. I had a brief mental image of some old woman down on the street handing out flyers and telling people to "Save the clock tower!". I decided I'd been spending too much time in the sewers watching 80's movie marathons.

"Well, have you got a better idea?" Mikey asked bluntly, drawing me out of my reverie. I had to admit that I didn't.

We began to examine the area, and almost right away came across something strange. There were odd piles of what appeared to be gravel dust and small stone flakes on the balcony beneath almost every cornice, and even a few deep scratches in the stone of the casement. From the shape and placement, it was obvious that they were made by claws- really BIG claws, at that. I started to worry that maybe Mikey WAS right. What if whatever made those marks was hostile, and what if they came back while we were right there in their territory?

"What do you make of these?" Michelangelo asked curiously, holding up a handful of the flakes of dark gray stone. They were thin and brittle, crumbling easily, even though they seemed to be made of granite. And some of the larger pieces were curved slightly, and even looked as if they had covered something else.

I knelt down by the largest pile, in the middle of the casement in front of the big clock. I began to shift through the pile, and found a piece that looked like part of a claw or a horn, and another that could have been an eye. "This is strange," I mused. "It's like they shed their skins or something. There's enough dust and debris here to coat all of those statues we saw in the photos. Do you think they hibernate during the day somehow? That would explain why they're only in the daytime photos."

"Yeah, that makes sense," he answered, coming over to lean down over me, studying the bits I had pieced together. I'd already put together part of what might have been a taloned foot from the pile in front of the clock. He looked around, scratching his head with a puzzled scowl. "Seems kid of weird that they just disappear, though. Where did they go?" Then he straightened, and pointed toward the clock face. "Hey, there's a door over there in the clock! Let's check out the inside."

I started to protest, but he was already heading for the small door. I jumped up, rushing past him to block it before he could simply barge inside. "Wait! We need to be careful. What if those things are inside? They might not be friendly, and they sure won't be if we go marching right in there. Think- we don't know what kind of creatures we're dealing with. They could be dangerous!"

Mikey looked crestfallen for a moment, but quickly shrugged it off. "Yeah, you're right. Guess I'm just so excited to find proof, I almost got carried away. I can't WAIT to find out what those things are! So, do ya' think they can talk?" He really did seem excited, almost as if he expected these living statues to walk up and shake his hand. Personally, I was more inclined to think they would bite our heads off. From what I'd seen in the photos, at least two of them were larger than a human, and if they could put claw marks in solid stone, I had no doubt they could do far worse to flesh if they were hostile.

"Mikey, maybe I should go in first," I said, as he moved to open the door. "If we run into any cops inside, I can always pretend to be lost up here. Just be ready to disappear if we get caught." I had just remembered where we were, and I knew there was always a possibility that someone might be up here.

"Uh, good idea." Yup, That's my Mikey- a real way with words, that one….

I turned and tried the knob of the narrow door; I was surprised to find it unlocked. So I opened it. And that was when I first realized we had forgotten to take into account the possibility that we might not be the only ones who knew those so-called "statues" were more than mere stone embellishments. I hadn't taken a single step inside when I found myself staring down the barrel of a gun. A Glock .9mm police issue, to be exact. I stood gaping for a moment, and heard a soft gasp of surprise from behind me, followed by the almost inaudible swish of movement as Mikey pulled a ninja disappearing act that would have made David Copperfield envious.

"Not another step. You're trespassing in a restricted area. Who are you and what are you doing up here? This area isn't open to the public. Now back up nice and slow, with your hands up." I was being addressed by an attractive woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties, with long black hair, a dusky complexion that seemed a mix of Latino and African-American, and a red leather jacket over a simple black top and comfortable jeans. I didn't miss the badge pinned on her belt, either.

"I'm sorry, and YOU are….?" I asked, aware that getting cheeky with a cop might not be in my best interests. I just needed to keep her attention on me, and hope she hadn't seen my green companion. "I was here to make a statement about a gang fight, and got curious to see what was up here. Didn't know it was off-limits." I hoped that my deceptive skills as a kunoichi were good enough to get past this officer without getting myself arrested. To be honest, I've never felt good about lying, and I had never considered lying to a cop before! I really need to spend more time with humans- I'm starting to THINK like a ninja….

"Detective Elisa Maza, 23rd precinct. Nice try, but there are signs posted downstairs, and there's only one way in- and that door was locked. Now, why don't you start over with the truth, and while you're at it, tell your friend to come out where I can see him." Damn. She didn't miss much, evidently.

I tried to stall, hoping Mikey would take a hint and make himself scarce in case she decided to look around outside. "There's no one else here!" I protested, looking around as if wondering who she meant. "Look, I wasn't hurting anything, I just came up to check out the view. No big deal, I'll just be going." I started to move toward the door, as though to go back down the way I'd supposedly come up. But the lady cop wasn't buying, from the suspicious gaze she leveled on me.

"I HEARD you talking to someone else out here, so don't try to play games with me. Where is he? And you still haven't answered my question- what's your name, miss? For that matter, why are you dressed like a cat-burglar? You didn't come up here just for the view- you're obviously up to something. So spill it." She was persistent, I had to give her that. She was also still holding a gun on me, which made me distinctly nervous. The fact that she had noticed I was wearing close-fitting black leggings, my calf-high boots, and a long-sleeved black shirt, with a simple belt with my tool pouch on it and my hair in a low ponytail, didn't help, either.

"I told you, I'm alone. I just wanted to see what was up here." I knew she didn't believe me, but then, she wouldn't believe the truth, either, so it couldn't hurt to stick to my story. "Weren't there supposed to be a bunch of gargoyles up here? They seem to be missing," I added, giving her a suspicious stare of my own. Maybe I could rattle her enough to get out of this without giving anything away.

"Tell your friend to come out of wherever he's hiding, or I'll have to take you both in for trespassing. Your choice. And I know he can hear me, so he might as well answer, too. Who are you?" I was starting to dislike this particular member of New York's Finest.

Mikey chose that time to speak up, though he stayed out of sight. "Uh, no offense, Detective, but you REALLY don't want me to come out there, and I ain't movin' as long as you're wavin' that pea-shooter around. I've already been shot at enough for one night." I almost groaned at his last comment. Great. Did he HAVE to be so damned chatty? Now she knew he was there, and she knew we had been involved in a shooting. He's sweet, but sometimes he doesn't know when to shut up.

"Did you say you've been shot at? Just who ARE you two? Gang members? Would-be thieves? Or maybe terrorists? And how did you two even get up here? I happen to know you didn't come up the drop-down steps that lead up from the station. Someone would have seen you." This just kept getting better. This detective was full of questions, and we couldn't reasonably answer a single one.

"Mikey! Way to go, lover-boy. You just HAD to open your big mouth!" I carped, and grumbled in annoyance. "You want to tell her your life story while you're at it?" I could just imagine the lecture we were going to get from Leo when he found out about this little escapade. It was bad enough that we'd been caught somewhere we clearly weren't supposed to be, but now he was at risk of being exposed. And by a cop, no less. I was pretty sure Raph would jump our case, too. He was always quick to back up Fearless when it suited his purpose- namely when it involved someone other than himself getting into trouble. He's such an altruistic soul….

"Uh-huh, and YOU just told her my name! At least I wasn't THAT careless!" He shot back from somewhere in the shadows, and I kicked myself mentally. Oops.

"Would someone like to tell me what's going on here? I asked you nicely, but if I don't start getting some answers, someone's going to spend the night in jail." That was the detective, and it was evident that she was fast loosing patience. I started to say something in reply, but Mikey beat me to it.

"Okay, I'll explain, but first you gotta' put that thing away. I don't want to get shot at on sight. Been there, done that- more times than I care to count." I turned toward where I knew he was hiding, fear sending an icy shiver down my spine. "But I gotta' warn ya'- I'm not your average dude. Let's just say I'm not like anyone you've ever met."

"Don't be so sure," muttered the cop. I wondered what that meant, but kept my mouth shut.

"Michelangelo Hamato, don't you DARE! Leo will KILL you!" I yelled at the shadows. The last thing we needed was to reveal to the NYPD that mutants were running around in the city- especially mutant NINJAS.

"Relax, babe. It's cool. I think we can trust her- if she can keep ONE secret, she can keep ours, too. Right?" I whipped around to stare at the detective. He still hadn't shown himself, but I could barely hear him moving closer. I knew exactly where he was, even if Detective Maza didn't.

"What?" Now he had me confused. What did that even mean?

"I think she knows somethin' about those missing statues. DON'T ya'? That's why she's UP here!" Mikey replied. I gaped at the woman, who had lowered her gun and stood eyeing the shadows closely, searching for him. At last she sighed, and holstered the weapon.

"I don't know how you know about them, but your friend is right. I DO know something. Your name is Mikey? Why don't you both step inside, and we'll talk." I noticed that she kept her hand near the gun. She moved back inside the door, and I slowly followed. After a few seconds, a shape melted out of the darkness out on the balcony, and Mikey stepped into the dim light from inside the tower. The detective's eyes widened, and she stepped back with a look of utter astonishment for a moment. Yet she seemed to recover quickly from the shock of seeing her first mutant turtle, and didn't even flinch when he offered his hand.

"Hi. I'm Michelangelo, but my friends call me Mikey." He smiled at her warmly, and after a moment of hesitation, she shook his hand for a brief shake, before remembering where she was.

"What ARE you?" She asked, staring at him curiously. "I've seen plenty of strange things in this city, but nothing like you! No offense."

"Eh, none taken. I'm a mutant. Uh, mutant turtle, that is. Chrysemys scripta elegans, to be specific. At least, that's what Donnie says. That's a red-eared slider, just so you know. We were born in a pet shop, but we've spent most of our lives in the sewers hidin' from humans, for obvious reasons. Actually, you're probably one of the only people who hasn't totally freaked when they see us. I'd call this an improvement over the kind of reactions we usually get." Mikey shrugged, and Detective Maza kept watching him with intense interest, no doubt wondering where he had come from.

"WE?! You mean there's more than one of you?" She glanced from Mikey to me, and I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I've got three older brothers! Well, we're not really sure who's older, but since father picked out our birthdays when he named us, we just sort of go with it. There's really no way to know when we were bor- uh, hatched." He gave her a half-smile and shrugged again, before turning to move closer to me. He wrapped one arm around me protectively, but I realized it was as much for his own comfort and support as for mine. He was nervous in the strange surroundings, meeting a stranger who might well decide to expose him to the world. But he seemed to think he could trust her, so I let him take the lead in this encounter. I just hoped his instincts were right.

We followed her down a set of stairs just inside, to a large area that had been turned into a sort of living space. Mikey gazed around cautiously, ever alert for danger. We heard a soft growling from somewhere nearby, and turned to see a large, dog-like creature approaching us slowly, teeth bared menacingly. It stood on four muscular legs, with large claws on its feet. It was about the size of a Saint Barnard, with a short muzzle like a bulldog, but it was furless, gray, and had bat-like ears, a stubby tail, and three spikes down the middle of its back. I was reminded of the demon dog from Ghostbusters; I just hoped THIS beast was friendlier! It growled again, and only Detective Maza's hand on its head held it back.

"Whoa! Easy, Bronx. These two are with me. It's okay, boy- go keep Hudson company." She said, and the beast cocked its head almost as if it understood her, then whined and lowered its head as if disappointed. It shuffled over to sniff Mikey closely, circling him as if studying him carefully, its head cocked curiously.

Michelangelo cautiously knelt down, reaching out with one hand toward the huge creature to let it see he was harmless. "Hi there, fella. You must be the one I saw in those pictures that was different from the others. I bet you wish you had wings like they do, huh?" He grinned when the big dog-beast snorted and seemed to nod. It sat down just in front of him and nudged his hand with its massive head, then licked his face. He laughed. "Hey! You're just a big softie, huh, boy?" He said, and I was amazed at how easily he had made friends with the creature.

The detective stared at the two, clearly stunned. I watched in complete astonishment at Mikey's uncanny ability to befriend almost anything. It was one of his gifts, something I'd discovered while watching him with Klunk, or when he would secretly go out to feed some of the strays that lived near the garage where the guys kept their van.

"I don't believe it," Maza said after a moment. "Bronx has never taken such a liking to a stranger that way before!"

Michelangelo glanced up from where he was now scratching behind the big beast's ears and grinned. "Guess he must like turtles!" He said, and laughed again as the creature gave a snort and playfully knocked him over. "Wow, our bros are gonna' FLIP when they hear about this! A real, live gargoyle dog! I bet April would LOVE to see him! You think it'd make a good news report?" He turned to me, with a questioning look. I just shook my head emphatically.

"I wouldn't, Mikey. Not our secret to tell. Besides, I'm sure these- whatever they are- don't want to be exposed any more than you guys do. Ninjutsu IS the art of invisibility, remember?" I decided it might be a good idea to remind him of what we were, to drive home the need for discretion.

He grimaced, and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I guess not." He rose, giving the strange dog-beast a last pat on the head, and looked around at the space inside the tower. There were steps down from the inside of the clock, and the huge gears that once ran it were perched high above us, while the main floor was mostly empty save for a small area that had been turned into a makeshift kitchen, and a corner with a television and a comfortable old recliner and footrest, with a table beside it and a rack of DVD's. Another area held a workbench covered with tools and several small appliances in various states of repair, and a bookshelf half-filled with books on mechanical repairs, building projects, and computers. Mikey's eyes lit up when he saw it all.

"Wow! Not a bad place ya' got here. So where are the guys that live here?" He asked, turning to the woman with us. She tried to hide a smile behind one hand, as she looked at something just beyond his left shoulder. I gaped, while a large shape approached him from behind, half-hidden in the darkness below the steps leading down from the giant clock-face. Mikey saw my stunned expression, and looked puzzled for an instant; then realization kicked in, and he paled. "There's one behind me, isn't there?" He asked, not even waiting for a response before he slowly swiveled his head to look.

"Aye, lad. There is indeed." The reply came from a nearly six-foot, winged creature with long white hair and a thick beard, a wrinkled, aged face, and a scar slashing down over one eye. It was clearly male, muscular and fit in spite of his obvious old age, with some sort of ancient leather armor and a belted loincloth over a pair of short leggings, with a curved sword at his side. A long tail and a pair of short head-spikes over his brows completed the intimidating appearance.

"Oh, boy. Th- they're a LOT scarier up close than I thought they'd be!" Mikey said, backing away slowly. I tensed, ready for anything. Suddenly, I stared to think we should have gone with Leo and the others…..


	4. Chapter 4 Rooftop Rumble

Finally, a new chapter! It took a while since I've been dealing with some RW issues, but I finally got back into the swing of things! The Wyvern and Hamato clans finally meet face to face, and it's not a friendly heart-to-heart!

Chapter Four: Rooftop Rumble

"Good evening, Elisa, lass! Who are your friends here?" The winged oldster said, eyeing us both closely. The large-dog-beast moved over to sit beside him, calmly scratching behind its left ear with a hind foot. If not for its strange appearance, it could have been an ordinary family pet. We gazed back at the creature's master cautiously; I wondered what he must have made of us- especially Mikey.

"I'm not sure, to be honest, Hudson. He says his name is Michelangelo, and that he has three brothers, but I haven't seen them yet. The girl STILL hasn't given me a name. I found them out on the balcony. Heaven only knows how they got there- they didn't come up past me." Detective Maza replied, giving us both a narrow gaze.

"That rope and hook on the lad's belt would be my guess. They must have climbed or swung up here." The old gargoyle-man said, pointing to Mikey's grapple. "And what be ye', if ye' don't mind me askin'?" The white-bearded stranger asked bluntly. "Never seen the likes o' yer' kind before. Where do ye' come from?"

"Uh, originally? A pet shop over in Clinton, I think. I guess that makes us native New Yorkers, but I'm not sure if it counts. But mostly, we're from the sewers. Been there most of our lives. It's not much, but it's home." Mikey shrugged, as if living in a sewer was nothing unusual. He half-turned to point over his shoulder to his carapace. "And I'm a turtle. Mutant turtle, that is. See? Got a shell and everything! Oh, um…. Sorry we walked in on ya' like that- didn't know anyone lived up here. I was just curious about this place so I wanted to get a better look around; we didn't mean any harm." Great, Mikey was rambling again, a clear sign that he was nervous. I didn't blame him, though.

The gargoyle looked at me as if confused, and shook his head. "Is he always like this? A right talkative one, he is."

I chuckled and nodded in agreement. "You have NO idea." I replied, getting a dirty look from my companion. "He's pretty easy to talk to. Usually, it's getting him to SHUT UP that's the problem."

"Hey! I'm RIGHT HERE, ya' know," Mikey protested, scowling. I laughed, and gave him a playful punch to the shoulder. "So, uh- who are YOU?" He asked the winged stranger, curiosity winning out over anxiety.

As often as they call Leo "Fearless", sometimes I think Mikey is the one who truly is. Even in th midst of life-and-death situations, he always seems to have a ready joke, and often dives head-first into situations where even Raphael might hesitate, usually with a grin and a snarky quip. The big goofball sometimes seems to have little fear of anything. Even on those rare occasions when I've witnessed him scream like a girl and beat a hasty retreat, as often as not, he bounces back into the danger the moment he finds an advantage- almost as if his retreats are merely strategic gambits intended to lure enemies into a more favorable battlefield. Leo may be the master tactician when it comes to forming plans, but for sheer manipulative cunning, Mikey has him beat. There's a reason he usually ends up being the bait in their traps- he's just so darn good at playing the part of defenseless mark. He'd have made a terrific actor.

"The name's Hudson, like the river," answered the old gargoyle. "And I see you've already met Bronx. Apology accepted, lad, though I'm curious how ye' found this place. Not many folks ever bother to look up, and fewer still have ever been curious enough to come up here."

Mikey seemed to relax, and gave him a lop-sided grin. "Oh! Well, my bros and I do a rooftop patrol run through this neighborhood about once or twice a week; I like to draw, and I thought the statues out on the balcony might make some cool subjects. Then I kept noticin' how they would be gone sometimes. I've seen enough weird stuff in this town that it made me real curious how that could happen, so…." He cocked his head to the side, and made a nonchalant shrug. "Here I am! And our sis here decided to tag along with me for the heck of it. We were mostly just bored."

The gargoyle and the detective traded glances, and he turned back to me with a raised brow. "I see what ye' mean about gettin' him to shut up. This lad's chattier than our boy Lex!"

"ANYWAY," Mike continued, "I just wanted to see if I was right about 'em bein' alive. It's all good. So, uh- where are the rest of 'em? There's like, seven of you guys, right?" I was starting to wonder about that myself. Mainly because if they could put gouges in stone, I didn't want to be around if any of them decided we were a threat.

As if his words had summoned them, a pair of gargoyles entered the tower, folding their wings down around them like cloaks. I recognized one as the lone female of the group; she was obviously young, with long raven hair, soft, delicate features, and a pair of tiny horn-spikes upon her brow. She was actually quite pretty, in a dark, strange way, with dark, heather-gray skin and a slender yet curvy figure. She stood about average height, and wore only a short tunic-dress that almost revealed more than it hid. In spite of the claws that tipped her hands, she hardly seemed threatening.

The massive male beside her, on the other hand, was possibly the most intimidating individual I'd ever seen. He stood well over seven feet tall, with wings to match; a pair of small horns sprouted from above his brows, and a mane of thick ebon hair fell to halfway down his back. His physique was like an ideal of masculine perfection- only bigger- with powerful muscles and nearly flawless skin the same dark shade as the female's. Even his face had an almost noble, handsome quality, with chiseled, saturnine features that managed to be both devilishly attractive, yet calm and contemplative. He wore nothing but a loincloth belted at the waist, and unlike the older male, carried no weapon. I suspected he needed none.

"Wow, talk about tall, dark, and handsome!" I muttered, half to myself. Mikey glanced from the newcomers to me and back, with a puzzled scowl.

"What's HE got that I DON'T? Besides wings, I mean." He asked, looking mildly annoyed.

I elbowed him playfully, with a mischievous smirk. "Mmm, rock-hard abs?" I teased. He just tossed a mock glare my way.

"Funny, REAL funny. Sorry, I'm just not seein' it." Mikey grumbled.

"Elisa, Hudson- who are our guests?" The huge male inquired, in a deep, commanding voice. Something told me that he was in charge here. His tone was polite, yet hinted at a suspicious nature and a protective streak that would brook no threats to those close to him. He reminded me a little bit of Leo.

The one named Hudson answered him. "They climbed up here to snoop around a bit, or so the green one says. It seems he had figured out that we're more than mere statues. They seem harmless, though I've never seen anything like him before. He claims to be a mutant, and said he lives in the sewers with three others. Not quite sure what to make of him, to tell the truth. And he called the lass his sister, if ye' can believe it."

"I see." The enormous newcomer moved closer, and I felt his dark gaze on us as he studied us both intently. "How were you created? Do you know a man named Dr. Anton Sevarius? Were you one of his experiments?" He asked Mikey curiously. The questions were spoken calmly, but I got the impression he was seeking something from us.

Mikey was about to answer him, when both of our shell-cells chose that moment to sound off. We exchanged a disgusted glance, and both spoke at once on hearing the familiar tune. "Great- Leo." We both groaned, knowing damn well what our leader wanted. No doubt we were about to get a royal ass-chewing for running off on our own.

"Uh, we'd better take this call- it's my big bro, and he's probably wondering where we are." Mikey apologized, as he opened up his communicator. I flipped mine open with a sigh, since Leo had obviously wanted to talk to both of us if he had opened both links at once. What a pain.

"WHERE ARE YOU TWO?!" The angry shout that greeted us as soon as the cells were open made me wince. Yup, Leo was pissed.

"Woah! Take it easy, dude! We're fine, we just, um- kinda got sidetracked, that's all. I spotted somethin' suspicious and we stopped to check it out. No big deal."

"We could have used your help, Michelangelo. Those jerks almost took out the power lines for the entire neighborhood when we put out the tetsubishi. Not to mention they threatened to take out the hostage to get away. Raph settled it with a sai in the neck of the one holding the gun on her. I don't think he's getting up again." Shit. No wonder Leo sounded ticked. It was bad enough that we had run off without telling anyone, but now he had to deal with Raph having possibly killed someone in his attempt to defuse the situation. It wasn't the first time the hothead had acted too rashly, either. Now there would be no living with either of them for a while. Raph would mope and turn sullen and withdrawn until he got over the guilt, and Leo would be an insufferable tyrant for days.

"Crap. Emo-Raph strikes again. Sorry, dude, but I thought it might be something important, so I made a choice. I figured you guys could handle that one without us. Anyway, now's NOT a good time, Leo. We're, uh, in the middle of some delicate negotiations here, and things could go south in a hurry."

Leo's eyes narrowed on the small screen. "What KIND of negotiations? What did you two get into NOW?" If there's anything worse than Leo angry, it's Leo when he's angry and suspicious.

"Excuse me- did he say something about someone holding a gun on a hostage? And what's this about a sai in someone's neck? Who ARE you guys?!" That was the detective speaking, and I groaned again, realizing she'd heard every word of Leo's tirade. Double shit. How were we going to explain this?

I tried to stall her while Mikey kept Leo busy. "We're what you might call an unofficial neighborhood watch. Citizens' patrol, more or less. Mostly we help people who need it, clean up the local trash, and occasionally retrieve things that have wandered off from their owners." It was a polite way of putting what we did, to be sure, but I wasn't about to use the ugly "v" word.

"In other words, you're vigilantes." Okay, so she obviously had no problem using the word herself.

Personally, I hated the term. I prefer "emergency troubleshooters". But it is what it is, I suppose. I sighed. "You know, that's such a dirty word. Can we just call it garbage take-out and leave it at that? Anyway, we do the same thing you do- just without the badge to pretty it up. And we're much more discrete. Usually." I grimaced, wondering if she was going to try to take us in now.

Leo must have heard the detective, because he suddenly broke in. "Who are you talking to, sis? Did you just say something about badges? Just WHAT IS GOING ON?!" Great. Leo didn't miss a thing. He was getting really steamed, no doubt about it.

"We encountered some new players on the field, that's all. We'll tell you all about it when we get back, unless someone has to bail us out of jail now. Your voice really carries on this thing, did you know that?" I told him acidly. It seemed to shut him up- for a moment, anyway.

Finally, he said something to the others, muttering something to Donnie about tracking us on the T-com. Then he lowered his voice, apparently realizing that someone else was listening in. "Don't go anywhere- we'll come to you. Mikey, you'd better have a good explanation for this." Then he hung up, and I traded glances with my green-skinned companion, both of us knowing that this was far from over.

"Uh, sorry about that. He's kind of a control-freak." Mikey apologized to Detective Maza and the three winged strangers. I nodded an affirmative.

"Perhaps introductions are in order. I am called Goliath, and this is my daughter Angela. I am leader of our clan. And forgive me for being persistent, but you did not answer my question earlier. Are you one of Sevarius' creations?" The big gargoyle gave a sweeping bow, and I found his courtly manner at odds with his daunting appearance. Indeed, he surely fit his powerful name.

"Nice to meet ya'! I'm Michelangelo. Sorry, but we never heard of anyone by that name. And we weren't anyone's experiment. We fell down in the sewer 'cause some kid almost got run over and dropped our bowl, and we were mutated later when this alien dude named Krang lost a canister of some green ooze stuff and it broke and got on us. That was almost eighteen years ago. It was all just a freak accident. We've been down there ever since."

"That's terrible! How did you survive? You must have been so very young," The female finally spoke, a look of sympathy on her lovely features. She had a soft, almost musical voice; I could see where she had gotten her name.

"We were taken in and raised by our Sensei. His name is Splinter. He's sort of like our dad- and he's also a mutant rat. He got splashed by the same stuff that changed us, but before that, he was a pet of a ninja Master named Hamato Yoshi. He used to watch his owner practicing his skills, and he taught it to us after we all mutated, so we'd be able to stay hidden and safe, and defend ourselves if we ever had to." Mikey replied eagerly; he was only too happy to make new friends, though I had misgivings about revealing so much of his history to these strangers.

"And this alien? What became of him? Or your teacher's owner?" Goliath asked. He seemed more accepting of our presence now, though clearly he still had doubts. I supposed it was only natural.

"Well, it all goes back to Hamato Yoshi, believe it or not. See, he was the Sensei of a ninja clan in Japan a long time ago, until a rival framed him for tryin' to assassinate the Grandmaster, and he got kicked out. He came here to New York, and brought Splinter with him- but the guy who plotted to take over his place was exposed by Yoshi, and HE got booted out too. He came after Yoshi and killed him out of revenge, for uh, rattin' him out. Then he wiped out the rest of the clan except for the ones who had followed him. He calls himself Shredder. Anyways, the creep met that alien dude, and they became partners. Krang wants to conquer the world, and Shredder- his real name's Oruku Saki- is helpin' him. They've got this huge fortress-tank under the harbor. And ninjas. And some mutants they created to work for them. It's complicated."

"An interestin' tale, lad, but a bit hard to swallow, if I do say so." The one who called himself Hudson said dubiously. "Aliens? Ninja clans? It all sounds like some bad science-fiction movie."

"Is it any less believable than battling Norse gods, or waking up King Arthur? Or fighting claw against sword with the real Macbeth? Or magic spells that turn everyone in the city to stone?" Detective Maza asked her friend.

The old gargoyle sighed. "Aye. Point taken, lass." He shook his head.

I was about to ask about the city getting turned to stone- you'd think someone would have remembered that happening- but our shell-cells went off again. This time it was Donnie's ring-tone. I looked at Mikey, wondering what his brainy brother would want. He just shrugged, and waved for me to answer it. I opened it with a sigh, hoping it wasn't more bad news. "Yeah, Don? What's up?"

"We're almost to your position, so Leo says stay put. And we WERE sort of wondering- is there any particular reason you're on top of a police station? What if someone sees you up there?!" Donnie must have tracked our location by now, and had probably told Leonardo exactly WHERE we were. This was getting worse by the minute.

"I don't think that's really an issue, Don," I said, glancing up at the detective. "Besides, we've found something- interesting- here, but we're in a delicate situation and it might not be a good idea for you guys to come barging in. Our hosts might take offense." I put the warning as plainly as I could without saying exactly what we were doing, or what we'd found.

"Hosts?! Are you guys being held captive? Don't worry, we'll be right there!" He asked, suddenly frantic. Terrific. I had tried to give him a hint to stay away to avoid unnecessary complications, and instead he'd jumped to conclusions and decided we were being held against our will. Then he hung up, and I face-palmed as I realized we were about to have three very upset and angry teammates bursting in for an unnecessary rescue. You know that saying about how when it rains, it pours? Well, right now we were caught in a monsoon of cats and dogs- metaphorically speaking.

The three gargoyles and Detective Maza all looked at me curiously, and Mikey glanced nervously from the winged trio to me and back. "Does that mean what I think it means?" He asked, groaning when I nodded with a grimace of annoyance.

"'Fraid so, Mikey. Well, uh, Goliath, it looks like you might be meeting our family sooner than you thought. They're on their way here under the mistaken belief that we're being held prisoner or something. I'm sure they'll be climbing up here any minute to try to 'rescue' us." I gave the hulking creature an apologetic half-smile, and sighed. "For what it's worth, we DO apologize for the intrusion. Mikey tends to get a little over-enthusiastic when it comes to anything new or unusual. He's sort of our resident thrill-seeker. Weird sometimes, but mostly harmless."

"Hey, YOU agreed to come with me! Didn't hear any complaints, either." His protest reminded me that I had indeed gone along with his idea, to my chagrin.

"True enough. But you DID say life would never be boring with you around! Besides, weren't you the one complaining earlier about it being a slow night for patrols? Guess this is karmic payback." I retorted, teasing him mercilessly.

"Ahem, are ye' sure you two are siblings? Ye' bicker more like a married couple," Hudson observed, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "How did ye' come to be their sister, anyway? Or is there somethin' I'm missin' here?" He turned to me with a questioning look.

"Their Sensei adopted me into the clan as kunoichi- that's a specially trained female ninja. And yes, since you're obviously wondering, we ARE a couple- just not married. It's- complicated." I shrugged, knowing they would probably never truly understand all the intricacies of our relationship- both as family and as lovers. Then again, I thought, noticing the way the big guy who called himself Goliath had taken an almost protective position next to the detective, with one clawed hand resting lightly on her shoulder, maybe at least ONE of them could….

"Exactly how did ye' get mixed in with such an odd bunch? Ye' certainly SEEM like a normal lass," the old one asked, still curious. I got the impression that he didn't get much excitement.

"That's sort of a long story. You know that Shredder guy Mikey mentioned? He killed my parents a couple of years ago, and I was a witness to it. The police never really believed what I told them, though, so they stopped looking for him a long time ago. Then I ran into these four one night by coincidence, and asked Splinter to teach me once I found out they were enemies of my family's killer. I just want to make sure he never hurts anyone else again. I want to protect innocent people from monsters like him." I said, staring determinedly back at him.

"Protection- I understand that objective all too well," Goliath said, nodding. "Our clan lives to protect our home and all who live there. This city IS our home. And its people are under our protection. That is our way."

"Aye, lad. As we live and breathe. Which reminds me- shouldn't the others be back by now?" Hudson added, glancing at his leader. "Ye' don't suppose they ran into trouble, do ye'?" He asked, looking a little worried. I could only assume he meant the remaining three members of their small family, whom I now realized were conspicuously absent.

"Indeed. I sent Brooklyn to bring back Broadway and Lexington some time ago. I was concerned about those suspicious figures we've seen lately. They were lurking about the area again earlier tonight." Goliath replied apprehensively; then he eyed Mikey and me with one raised brow, and chuckled. "But perhaps I need not have worried, after all. I suspect we may have found our elusive shadows."

Mikey was about to say something to him, but his shell-cell went off again at that moment. It was Leo again. He rolled his eyes and tossed it to me. "Tell him I died of embarrassment 'cause he keeps checkin' up on us. Man, he's a pain in the butt!"

"Oh, sure- stick ME with having to deal with 'Splinter Jr.' You're all heart, Mikey!" I replied with distaste. I reluctantly opened it up, and was greeted by Leo's confused face.

"Orlene? What are YOU doing with Mikey's T-com? Where is he?!" He yelled frantically.

"He said to tell you your mother-hen routine embarrassed him to death. He doesn't want to talk right now." I answered, relaying the message with a huff. I had to agree that he was being more nosey than usual.

"Well, get your butts over here! We're on the roof across from that tower, and we're under attack!" Leonardo shouted, his image jerking as he apparently ducked low to avoid a hit. He sounded distinctly worried, so it must have been serious.

"Attack? Who is it- the Purple Dragons? Shredder's Foot soldiers? Is it Big Louie's Mob?" I asked, while I heard a clang of steel that told me he had just blocked an attack with one of his katana.

"No, they're some kind of flying monsters!" He answered desperately; I saw something shove him from behind, knocking the shell-cell from his hand. I groaned, realizing what was happening.

"Goliath, I think your family and our family just met- and it DOESN'T sound like a friendly get-together!" I said, turning to the huge, winged leader. "We'd better get over there before they kill each other!"

"Agreed. Coming, Hudson?" He asked his clan-mate, as he turned to stride swiftly back out to the balcony.

"Aye, lad. I wouldn't MISS this," the oldster chuckled, following the other two out. Detective Maza seemed torn for a moment, then sighed, and ran after.

"Might as well join the fun," she muttered resignedly.

Mikey and I traded glances, and raced up the steps and outside, in time to see what was clearly a battle going on the rooftop across the street. Three winged figures were swooping down on the short, stock shapes on the roof, and we could hear the sounds of shouting even from our distance.

"Angela, you bring the girl. Hudson- you can carry our green friend. I've got Elisa. Let us end this nonsense before someone gets hurt." And without any further warning, I found myself grabbed from behind by the waist by the young female gargoyle, as she leapt up off the casement and unfurled her wings. There was a moment of panic as I felt us plunge briefly off the tower; then the wind currents caught us, and carried us upward. Fortunately, I managed not to scream. Mikey wasn't so collected- I heard his distinctive shriek of surprise as the old one made his jump, and sniggered.

"Hey! Warn a guy when you're gonna' do that!" He protested anxiously, prompting a laugh from his "ride".

"You're not afraid of heights, are ye', lad?" Hudson asked, amused by his reaction.

"No, but if turtles were meant to fly, we'd have our OWN wings!" Mikey complained.

"Exactly what is it you see in him?" The female who carried me asked, looking puzzled. "He seems- odd…."

"He grows on you," I replied with a grin. "Kind of like a cheesy movie where you can't figure out WHY you love it- you just DO."

"Ah! I think I understand- Broadway is like that, too." I wondered what a famous street had to do with anything, but by then we were coming in to land. She back-winged to a stop, and dropped me lightly onto the roof. I looked around, and saw Leo using his blades to fend off a large blue-gray gargoyle who was nearly as tall as Goliath, and quite a bit bulkier. They were nose-to-beak, with the big gargoyle shoving against Leo's swords, pushing him back inch by inch.

"Why are you creeps snooping around our home?!" The big one growled, as Leo stepped back and let his opponent's own weight carry him off-balance. But in spite of his size, the big one was hardly slow. He whirled around, his tail whipping out to last at Leo's feet. The ninja nimbly leapt over it, though, and pressed the attack with his blades- only to have them caught in the hands of his larger antagonist.

"What are you TALKING about?" Leo answered, confused. "We were looking for our brother!"

"So, there IS another one of you guys! I THOUGHT we saw four of you…. Nice blades, by the way. Never seen anyone use TWO swords before- you're pretty good with those!" The big one replied, glancing appreciatively at Leo's katanas, ignoring the fact that they were cutting into his hands. He must have been very tough, because he continued to grip the blades in spite of the blood that trickled from his palms.

Raph was several feet away from them, wrestling heatedly with a lean, red-skinned one with a shock of long white hair and a pair of prominent horns. They were snarling like a couple of wildcats fighting over territory, and I wondered which was the more ferocious-sounding. Both looked ready to kill. "I don't know who you weirdos ARE, pal, but you're REALLY startin' ta' piss me off!" Raph snarled at the red gargoyle.

Meanwhile, Donnie was holding off a relatively small opponent, with olive-green skin and a short, wiry build. He was quick, though, easily dodging Donatello's bo, only to retaliate with a swipe of his long tail. He knocked Donnie off his feet, and tackled him, growling angrily. "Get off of me!" Don yelled, fending off the smaller- yet apparently very strong- gargoyle. "What did we ever do to YOU?!"

"Leo, STAND DOWN!" I shouted, as he slammed the pommels of his katanas into the back of the big gargoyle's head. He ignored me, instead delivering a side-kick to his back. "Damn it, Leo, I said STOP!" I yanked out my kusari-gama and whipped the chain out to entangle his blades. Metal screeched against metal, and he turned to glare at me darkly.

"What the-! Are you out of your MIND?!" He yelled, while the heavy-set gargoyle shook his head to clear it from the blow he'd taken, turning to eye Leonardo warily. He looked more surprised than angry, but that didn't mean he wasn't still dangerous. I could see that I was going to get one of Leo's famous lectures when this was over, though for once, I really didn't care. At last, seeing his team outnumbered, and with two of us urging against a fight, he slowly lowered his blades, a wary attitude in his narrowed eyes.

"Dudes, listen to her! There's no need to fight!" Mikey asserted, stepping between Raph and the gargoyle he'd just been wrestling with. Raphael sent a warning growl to his brother, his blazing amber eyes promising severe consequences if Mikey continued to interfere.

"ENOUGH! Stop this- ALL of you!" Goliath roared out over the battle. His booming voice cut through the snarls and sounds of weapons meeting claws like a siren in the night. As one, all three of the attacking gargoyles paused in surprise, turning to gape at their leader. Donnie used the distraction to toss off his opponent, flinging him away with his bo. Raph punched his in the beak, and rolled away to flip back up to his feet, sais at the ready. Even Leo stared at the hulking figure who had landed beside Mikey and me. The other two stood just behind us, while Detective Maza sidled up to lean against the gargoyles' leader. I couldn't help noticing how his wing curled around her, drawing her closer to his side.

"Goliath- why'd you stop us? We finally found those sneaks that have been snooping around!" The red-skinned one said sullenly, rubbing his long beak with a dark glance at Raph. The others seemed inclined to agree.

"They are not our enemies, Brooklyn. We have enemies enough already without creating new ones. On the contrary, it seems we have a common purpose with these- strangers. We have no quarrel with them." Goliath answered calmly. I was starting to see why he was the leader. He reminded me of Leo in some ways.

"Alright, guys- you heard him. Fight's over." Leonardo said, straightening as he sheathed his swords. He shot Mikey and me a look that said we were going to be in a shit-storm of trouble later. "You two had BETTER have a really GOOD explanation for all of this." He made a sign to the other two, and Donnie slowly rose to his feet, and stood leaning on his bo with a curious look our way. Raph shot a glare at the white-maned gargoyle, before finally slipping his sais back into his belt.

"Dude, chill! This was all just a really BIG misunderstanding…." Mikey said, stepping in to placate the eldest turtle. "Besides- aren't you guys just a LITTLE curious to know where they came from?" He glanced over at the brainy member of our team, smiling slyly. Oh, but he was good. He knew exactly how to entice Don over to his side in a conflict.

"All's I want to know is- WHAT'S GOIN' ON?!" Raph finally yelled, unable to restrain his temper any longer. Naturally, he was itching to continue the fight. Typical Raph….

"Bro, it's pretty simple- these dudes are real live gargoyles! And they've been livin' here right under our noses!" Well, maybe over our heads, but you get the idea." He smirked, clapping his brother on the carapace. "If you play nice, Raph, maybe you'll even have a new partner to patrol with!" He glanced sideways at the gargoyle Raphael had been fighting, and I could almost see the wheels turning in his head. I realized that he was already figuring out ways to turn the obvious newfound rivalry between the pair to his own purpose. Sometimes, I think that boy LIVES to create drama and chaos…..


End file.
